₹70 lakh cash, 1.5 kg gold jewellery found during raids on Tejashwi Yadav, sisters

The ED had raided 24 locations in the NCR, Patna, Ranchi and Mumbai, including Tejashwi Yadav's residence in Delhi.

Updated on: Mar 11, 2023, 18:01:54 IST

By Neeraj Chauhan | Written by Aniruddha Dhar, New Delhi

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UPDATE | ₹1 cr cash, ₹600 cr crime proceeds in raids on Lalu Yadav's family

A view of Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav's Delhi residence where Enforcement Directorate conducted raids in connection with the alleged land-for-jobs scam. (ANI Photo)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recovered ₹70 lakh cash, 1.5 kg gold jewellery, 540 grams of gold bullion and foreign currency, including 900 US dollars, from the premises of Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughters and son Tejashwi Yadav during its raids on Friday in connection with a money laundering probe in an alleged ‘land-for-jobs’ case.

The ED had raided 24 locations in the national capital region (NCR), Patna, Ranchi and Mumbai, including the Bihar deputy chief minister’s residence in Delhi. Raids were carried out on Friday at the homes of three of Lalu’s daughters Ragini, Chanda and Hema Yadav, and former RJD MLA Abu Dojana, who is considered close to Lalu. The central agency also searched the residence of Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Jitendra Yadav in Ghaziabad. Jitendra Yadav is married to Ragini.

Also Read | CBI summons Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav for questioning in land-for-job case

People familiar with the ED probe also said the residence in New Friends Colony in Delhi raided on Friday, where Tejashwi was present, is registered in the name of AK Infosystems Pvt Ltd, an accused company in the case. One of the land transfers by bribe givers who got jobs in the railways was done to AK Infosystems, according to the allegations.

“This means Tejashwi Yadav or Lalu Yadav's family is using a residence registered in the name of the accused company,” said an officer who didn't want to be named.

The ED probe has revealed that four land parcels were sold to Meridian Construction, owned by former RJD MLA Abu Dojana, said the officer.

The ED raids came after questioning by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of Lalu’s wife Rabri Devi in Patna on Monday, and the former Union minister Lalu in Delhi on Tuesday in relation to the same case.

On Saturday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) summoned Tejashwi to appear for questioning in connection with the alleged land-for-jobs scam. Yadav was earlier called for questioning on March 4 but he had not appeared before the CBI sleuths, following which a fresh date was given for Saturday.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Chauhan
Neeraj Chauhan is a senior journalist with Hindustan Times and an investigative reporter specialising in national security, terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, corruption, financial crime and complex investigations. With over 21 years of experience across Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Pioneer, he has built deep expertise in India’s internal security and law-enforcement landscape. Neeraj has extensively covered India’s principal investigative, intelligence and security agencies, including the NIA, CBI, ED, IB, R&AW, MHA and other central security forces. His work has included deeply reported investigations into terrorism, terror financing, cross-border crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, financial fraud and political and corporate corruption. He has reported on some of the most significant terror attacks and security developments in India over the past two decades, including the Delhi serial blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the recent Pahalgam attack. His reporting has also chronicled the rise and decline of the Indian Mujahideen, the activities and subsequent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), Islamist extremist networks, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the Northeast and Maoist violence. Some of Neeraj’s major breaking stories are in Aryan Khan drug case, Sushant Singh Rajput suicide, interception of a 3,000-kg Afghan heroin consignment worth about ₹21,000 crore at Mundra port, Sri Lanka easter bombings, Aarushi-Hemraj murders in Noida, 2G scam, coal block allocation scam, AgustWestland VVIP chopper deal and major bank frauds and extradition cases involving Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. His reporting is marked by an ability to cultivate sources, analyse confidential and complex documents, and follow investigations over several years—from the initial breakthrough to chargesheets, trials and international legal proceedings. He specialises in making complicated security and investigative developments accessible while examining their wider implications for governance and public policy. A Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme Fellow at the University of Westminster, Neeraj also spent time at the Financial Times as part of the fellowship. He was also a Robert Bosch Media Ambassadors India-Germany Fellow, studying at the University of Tübingen and working with Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. He has previously taught investigative journalism and crime reporting as a guest faculty member at the Times School of Journalism. Over more than two decades, Neeraj has established himself as an authoritative voice on India’s national security and investigative landscape, with his reporting closely followed by officials, investigators, lawyers, policymakers and readers seeking insight into some of the country’s most complex and consequential developments.Read More